Mr Tiernan from protest group Stop the Cull was named in an injunction earlier this week brought by the National Farmers Union to stop protesters "intimidating or harassing" farmers.

A police helicopter and three police cars were involved in the arrest.

Stop the Cull, the group representing a loose affiliation of hunt saboteur groups from around the country, claim that up to 300 people will be “patrolling” both areas in order to find evidence of badger shooting.

On social networking sites they are threatening to take "direct action" against the cull.

The National Farmers Union have an injunction out against anyone attempting to "intimidate or harass" farmers.

More peaceful protests are also going on in Somerset and Gloucestershire with a candle-lit vigil for the badgers in Minehead Somerset tonight (Monday) and “colourful” marches arranged in villages in the Gloucestershire zone.

The RSPCA, League Against Cruel Sports and other animals rights organisations are against the cull as well as celebrities including Brian May and Jilly Cooper.

But the Department for the environment Food and Rural Affairs insist the cull is in necessary to stop the spread of bTB, that costs the taxpaper £100 million every year in compensation for farmers and dealing with the disease.

The pilot culls will be carried out over four years at a cost of around £5 million to the taxpayer and then the cull could be rolled out across the country, resulting in the death of 100,000 badgers.